Goalkeeper Ernando Ari's performance was praised by Shin Tae-yong and Tony Vidmar

Jakarta, Beritasatu.com – The coach of the Indonesian U-23 national team, Shin Tae-yong, and the coach of the Australian U-23 national team, Tony Vidmar, acknowledged the quality of the Garuda Muda goalkeeper, Ernando Ari, in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup group A match between the two teams at Abdullah Stadium bin Khalifa, Qatar, Thursday (18/4/2024).

Both coaches agreed that Ernando had shown his skill with four saves, including saving Mohamed Toure's penalty kick in the 25th minute after Komang Teguh had made a handball in the penalty box.

STY stated that Ernando's save in a crucial moment like that gave confidence and strengthened his team's mentality. He added that even though he was charged a penalty, he did not feel that Komang Teguh intentionally violated it, but that it was a dangerous moment for his team.

Australia's Vidmar also agreed that Ernando's save on Toure's penalty was a key moment that frustrated his team. He stated that if the penalty had been successful, it could have changed the course of the match in Australia's favor.

Apart from praising Ernando, Vidmar also appreciated the solid defense led by captain Rizky Ridho. The former Australian national team player admitted that his troops had difficulty completing opportunities in front of the opponent's goal. Australia is the only team in group A yet to score.

Vidmar regretted his lack of composure in completing opportunities, often rushing his kicks. “This is the importance of quality and calm in those situations. Our players sometimes get too excited. “Even though players have to be wiser in controlling the strength of their kicks,” said the figure who played for the Australian national team from 1991-2006.